The rooftop café is just like I remember.
Tiny glowing lanterns hanging from wooden beams, mismatched tables with peeling paint, and the soft hum of music playing over old speakers. The air smells like roasted coffee and rain.
It feels like a memory I've stepped into.
I shouldn't have come.
But I did.
Because despite everything, despite the marriage, the lies, the danger, I needed to see him again.
Noah.
He's already there, leaning against the railing like a scene from a movie. Black shirt, sleeves rolled up, hair tousled by the breeze. His eyes light up the second he sees me.
God. He shouldn't still make me feel like this.
"Zara." My name on his lips is soft, almost reverent.
I cross my arms, trying to keep my heart from showing on my face. "You have five minutes."
He gives a breathy laugh. "Still stubborn."
"I had to be. After you disappeared."
Noah steps closer, slowly, like he's approaching something breakable. "I didn't mean to leave you in the dark. There were things I couldn't explain back then."
"Try me."
He looks away for a second, running a hand through his hair.
"My dad was deep in debt. Dangerous people were involved. The kind that doesn't knock twice. We left the country overnight. I thought we'd be back in a week." His voice lowers. "A week turned into years."
"And you couldn't call?"
"I tried. For months. Every number was disconnected. And when I came back, you were gone."
I exhale slowly. The anger, the ache—it never fully left me. But hearing it now, it makes the pain shift. Not disappear. Just… tilt.
"You could've tried harder."
"I know." His voice breaks a little. "But I never stopped looking. I found your wedding announcement online. That's how I knew I was too late."
A silence falls between us. Heavy.
Until he speaks again.
"Do you love him?"
My chest tightens. "That's not your business."
"It used to be."
"Noah…" I shake my head. "You don't get to come back into my life and ask me things like that."
He steps closer, just enough that I can smell the cinnamon in his cologne.
"I know. But I had to try. Because I still love you, Zara. And if there's even a small part of you that still feels the same, I'll fight for you. I'll wait. Even if it takes forever."
My throat closes up. I want to scream at him. I want to hold him. I want to cry.
But all I do is whisper, "I'm married, Noah."
" I'm not asking you to cheat. I'm asking you to feel. If there's something still here… if there's a war inside your heart, let it rage. I'll be here when the dust settles."
He backs away. Gives me space. Gives me a choice.
"I'll be at this café every Friday night," he says softly. "Same time. You don't have to call. Just come. Or don't. I'll understand."
Then he leaves.
Just like that.
No pressure.
No promises.
Only memories.
When I get back to the penthouse, the lights are dimmed and a tray of food sits on the table.
Kairo's in the study, typing something into his laptop. He doesn't look up when I walk in.
"You're late," he says, voice clipped.
"I took a walk."
He glances up now, eyes scanning my face like he's searching for cracks. "In heels? After dark?"
"I needed air."
"You needed to see someone."
I freeze.
Kairo closes his laptop and leans back, his voice dangerously calm. "You think I don't know, Zara? I know everything. Every move. Every whisper."
My pulse spikes. "Are you spying on me?"
"I'm protecting my investment."
The words slapped harder than expected.
"I'm not a stock you bought, Kairo."
"No. But you did come with terms."
I step closer, shaking now. "What happens if I break the terms?"
He stands. Tall. Quiet in a tailored suit.
"I don't make threats, Zara. I make promises."
The tension crackles between us. My skin prickles. But I don't back down.
"I'm not yours to control."
"You are until the deal ends."
I blink. "So this is a countdown for you?"
"Isn't it for you, too?"
His voice is low. Cold. But beneath the ice, there's a flicker. Something I can't name.
Regret? Jealousy? Fear?
Whatever it is, it vanishes too fast.
Kairo walks past me without another word, the scent of his cologne lingering in the silence.
And I'm left alone with the storm in my chest.
Two men.
One marriage.
And a heart that no longer knows where it belongs.